Word from our Sponsor, Pt. 2

Yes, it is true. If you are wanting to order a t-shirt and recieve it in time for Christmas, I would seriously recommend doing so before the first of December. US residents have a few more days to play with, but us international residents have a longer mailing-time to deal with.

Those of you who have been here for awhile are already aware of my deepfelt love for the pop-rock stylings of Japan's The Pillows. They've been around for well over a decade and have released what sometimes seems like around 8 million albums, but if you don't live in Japan, odds are the only way you'll discover them is through the FLCL. That anime's soundtrack draws from four of the Pillows' late 90s albums -- Please Mr. Lostman through Happy Bivouac -- all of which were fantastic records.

Unfortunately, things have been pretty touch and go since then. The band ventured off into other music styles, and with the exception of Thank You My Twighlight, the results were pretty... well, bland. But the brand new Good Dreams -- released earlier this month -- is a major throwback to Happy Bivouac, right down to the "Last Dinosaur" virtual soundalike single, "Sono Mirai wa Ima." It's maybe a bit too similar for comfort, but the rest of the album manages to pick up the Bivouac-era style without coming off as a clone.

If you loved the Pillows' work for FLCL, you'd love this new album. And you know, if you're not the type to spend 50 bucks importing a 35 minute record you've never heard, I'd recommend firing up Soulseek, selecting the "create a room" option, naming said room "the pillows," and then letting the dudes in there help you find out what you've been missing.

Sam Logan

Nov 22, 2004

Walkin' on the Spiral

I'm back! I hope you all missed me. But then, I also hope you all enjoyed the last two weeks of guest strips that my cartooning friends and comrades helped put together. A huge thank you goes out to Michael, John, Ryan, Jeph, Eric, David, Jim, Jeff, Brian, Scott, Kent, Dale, the other David and Thom.

But I have not been goofing off! No, I did not spend all of the last two weeks playing Metroid Prime 2. I have put together a special 17 page Sam and Fuzzy Christmas wonder that will be serialized over four update days around the middle of December. Anticipate!

Originally, Claire was going to do a guest strip for me too, but unfortunately, she ended up too busy with school work to get her rather ambitious concept off the ground. I won't tell you what she was planning, lest I spoil the plot of a future guest strip from her. But as a consolation prize, here is a really keen (and extremely creepy) Skull Panda image that she made. Just click the preview image below to see the full-sized, full-colour version... and to give yourself nightmares.

And speaking of unique comics, today's second guest strip comes from Thom May, whose Pihakwa is brimming with some of the keenest, most imaginative looking creatures you will ever see. It was very exciting to see his take on the Sam and Fuzzy cast, particularly Skull Panda. Rikk would be proud.

I am taking a little extra time to gush about these folks because their work is most likely new to you. Well, you have the whole weekend to get better acquainted!

Sam and Fuzzy returns Monday with me in the driver's seat once again. See you then!